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October 2 2012

4:50 PM

The police officer who got Rory McIlroy to Medinah (Ill.)
Country Club in time for his tee time in Sunday’s singles
matches at the Ryder Cup has been identified: Lombard (Ill.) Deputy
Police Chief Pat Rollins.

When Ryder Cup officials realized McIlroy wasn’t at the
course for his 11:25 a.m. tee time -- McIlroy thought he was teeing
off an hour later because he’d seen the times in Eastern Time
-- they sent someone to his room. “She just went up and said,
‘Rory, are you OK?’ and he answered the door and said,
‘Yes, what’s the matter?’” and (she) said,
‘You’re on the tee,’” Don Larson of Medinah
Country Club told the network.

McIlroy had less than a half hour before his tee time.
That’s when Rollins went into action.

“I just wanted to make sure if I was maneuvering around, I
just wanted to make sure he was gonna be OK with it,” Rollins
told CBS. “I asked him, ‘Do you get motion
sickness?’”

“I said no, no, no, I don’t care if I’m sick,
just get me to that first tee,” McIlroy said.
“I’ve never been so worried going to the golf course.
Luckily, there was a state trooper.”

McIlroy arrived with 11 minutes to spare, then went on to beat
Keegan Bradley, 2 and 1, ultimately helping Europe to a historic 14
1/2-13 1/2 win over the U.S.

“He went right in the locker room, didn’t say
anything, didn’t even tie his shoes ‘til he got the
first tee,” Larson told CBS Chicago.

Added Rollins: “I’ve had plenty of people express
that to me, if I would have gotten a flat tire, if i would have
taken him to a different golf course. It’ll be something
I’ll remember all my life.”